In today’s newsletter: Rape allegations at Cornell University put New York law in the spotlight. Palestinian family attacked during their attempt to return to the West Bank. And an exclusive look at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ comfortable prison facilities. Here’s what you need to know today. Cornell’s rape allegations highlight strict New York state laws that have long drawn criticism. AP New York state’s laws on consent and sexual assault are drawing national attention after prosecutors reopened the case of a former Cornell University student who alleges she was raped by fraternity members in 2024. This is the Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox. The law defines “mentally incapacitated” as victims who become temporarily unable to evaluate or control their behavior due to the influence of alcohol or drugs administered to them without their consent. Defending his earlier decision not to pursue criminal charges, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said the former student “described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, knowing and consensual.” Some legal experts say the law effectively sets a higher bar. Prosecutors and defense attorneys have pushed for changes in recent years. In states like California and Virginia, victims do not have to be given drugs or alcohol without their consent to be considered mentally incapacitated. Read the full story here. EXCLUSIVE: Diddy’s pampered life in prison includes massages, nude photos and Hennessy. As Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs serves a 50-month sentence for prostitution-related crimes, sources inside New Jersey’s Fort Dix federal prison tell NBC News that the disgraced hip-hop mogul is still living a privileged life. life.Multiple sources say Combs uses a smuggled phone to scroll through Instagram and scan sexually explicit photos sent to him by an old girlfriend. Other inmates cook and clean for him; one even gives him Chinese-style massages. Combs has spent thousands of dollars at the low-security prison, sources said, and the money flows from people outside the facility to the commissary accounts of inmates who provide services to him. A spokesperson for the disgraced hip-hop mogul downplayed the details, saying “the only real news is that Sean continues to serve his sentence while awaiting the court’s decision on his appeal.” Shot from inside the prison and reviewed by NBC News, they paint a picture of wealth, even behind bars. Read more about our exclusive look at Combs’ experience in prison. Getty Images A flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia amid reports of a bloody altercation on board. The mother of a passenger on the FlyDubai plane said her daughter heard screams and someone she believed was a pilot calling for help. He said the plane began to lose control, and a man pulled out a knife and tried to kill the pilot. “There was a lot of blood around,” he said, according to his daughter’s account. The Israeli military told NBC News that the country had dispatched at least two aircraft in response to the incident. They said the military had not yet ruled out the possibility that the incident was related to terrorism. Read more about the emergency landing. Settlers clash with Israeli forces to prevent a Palestinian family from returning to their West Bank home. A damaged property belonging to the Tubassi family in Jalud, West Bank, on September 29, 2026. Israeli settlers reportedly attacked the property. Erik Marmor/Getty Images The Tubassi family was forced to leave their home in July after a siege by violent Jewish settlers in the West Bank city. Jalud, but after Israeli forces attempted to facilitate their return, they were met with more violence. Mahmoud Tubassi said he was told that Israeli officials would accompany him, his wife and son, but the settlers began throwing stones at the armed police and army when they arrived at his house. After the settlers entered the property, security forces urged the family to go up to the roof. The soldiers formed a physical barrier between the family and the settlers, Tubassi said. The family was then told to get back into an armored vehicle and taken to safety, he added. It was the second time that Tubassi and his wife Aida Ahmed Abdullah had suffered at the hands of settlers. On August 28, a group attacked them and an NBC News crew that was interviewing them. Although the family’s repeated attempts to return home are the result of an order from Israel’s High Court of Justice, the attacks have become a growing concern for the country’s leaders, who have struggled to explain how such a formidable army has been overwhelmed by hundreds of lightly armed youths. Read the full story here. Staff Pick: Broken Promises: Senior housing bankruptcies rob families of their life savings Emily, 85, and Tom Ryan, 93, sit inside their Buckingham home in Houston on August 7, 2026. Hope Mora for NBC News Moving your elderly parents into a retirement community is stressful enough. But imagine knowing that the hefty entrance fee your parents paid will not be refunded, even though your contract promised it. That’s the story I heard from seven distraught members of The Buckingham Continuing Care Community in Houston, TX. After the community filed for bankruptcy in late 2025 and was sold to a new operator, the court overseeing the case ruled that current and former residents and their families were not entitled to recover the $144 million in entrance fees they had paid. All of the families I interviewed said they were speaking to NBC News to warn about the risks residents face if senior housing operators fail to keep their refund promises. As Emily Ryan said, “Maybe the only thing we get out of this is that we teach other seniors in America, all over America, to be careful.”—Gretchen Morgenson, Senior Financial Investigative ReporterRead All About ItSen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., wrongly accused special counsel Jack Smith of perjury during a hearing into his investigations into Trump. After a week of fierce competition, “Backpack” emerged victorious as Fat Bear Week champion, earning the title of the largest bear in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. Democrats hope to wrest a Senate and House seat from Republicans in this solidly red state. The Trump administration paid for television ads that portrayed him favorably using money intended for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, sources confirmed to NBC News. OpenAI launched a new agent product, Dots, focused on tackling autonomous tasks just days after apologizing for a hack by its own robots. Michigan police arrested a parent after a toddler at a day care center pulled a loaded gun in a holster out of his backpack, police said. NBC Selected: Online Shopping, Simplified In the latest edition of our The Internet Made Me Ask series, our editor talks to experts to find out exactly how often you should be washing your makeup brushes. (Spoiler alert: It’s more common than you think.) Plus, KitchenAid appliances are over 65% off on Amazon right now. Shop the deals before they’re gone. Sign up for The Selection newsletter to receive actionable product reviews, expert shopping tips, and see every week’s best deals and sales. Thanks for reading today’s morning briefing. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Kaylah Jackson. If you’re a fan, send a link to your family and friends. You can register here.
